Total fines for London’s rogue landlords and agents have topped £10 million since the rogue landlord database launched in 2017.

Fines saw a record-breaking 19% rise from January to December last year, according to geospatial tech company Kamma - higher than the 13% increase seen in 2022.

Since the start of 2024, the total has increased by £377,213 and it believes upcoming regulation changes and increased enforcement will only make fines grow at an even faster rate.

Kamma reports that fines for non-compliance have also skyrocketed in the capital such as in Tower Hamlets which has revealed more than £1.2 million in financial penalties and rent repayment orders linked to unlicensed properties since it launched its licensing schemes.

3,000 notices

Redbridge Council has served 3,000 notices and made 76 prosecutions directly from its previous scheme, while Camden continues to lead in enforcement actions as the borough with the highest fines, recently announcing a hefty £350,000 penalty against an agency for failing to comply with a planning enforcement notice.

Kamma says that with 19 schemes and consultations launched across the UK up until April, 2024 is already 30% ahead of this time last year and is well on track to beat 2023’s record of 32 new schemes. Nearly a third of all schemes launched this year have been targeting London boroughs with Brent, Tower Hamlets, and Redbridge, each introducing additional or selective schemes.

CEO Orla Shields (pictured) says: “The surge in fines and licensing measures across London are clear indicators of the growing seriousness with which regulatory compliance is being treated. This year’s record-breaking figures represent a strong stance against non-compliance for agents and landlords in London.”

Some in the sector have argued that the government’s plans for a national landlord portal within its renting reform legislation will make selective licensing schemes in particular, unnecessary.

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